1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for loading user interface software of an expansion card in an electronic device, the method comprising means for loading, activating and executing program modules in an electronic device, which expansion card can be coupled in a releasable manner to the electronic device. The invention also relates to an electronic device which comprises means for loading user interface software in the electronic device, means for coupling an expansion card in a releasable manner in the electronic device and means for loading, activating and executing program modules in the electronic device. Moreover, the invention relates to a storage means for the user interface software and loading program of an expansion card in an electronic device, which expansion card can be coupled in a releasable manner to the electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
The PCMCIA interface (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) is a known interface which is used in connection with electronic devices to couple expansion cards, such as memory cards (e.g. FLASH memory cards), modems and different input/output cards (I/O) to an electronic device. Thus, the electronic device and the PCMCIA card are provided with connectors according to the PCMCIA standard in such a way that the connector of the electronic device is a so-called male connector, i.e. it is equipped with contact pins, and the connector of the card is a so-called female connector, i.e. it is equipped with contact sockets, wherein when the PCMCIA card is coupled to the PCMCIA connector of the electronic device, an electrical coupling is formed between each contact pin and corresponding contact socket. The PCMCIA standard determines the typical function of each contact pin and contact socket, respectively. Thus, for example in an application in which the PCMCIA interface is implemented in a computer, each data line of the data bus in the computer is coupled to a PCMCIA contact pin. Furthermore, at least some of the address and control lines are directed to the connector.
The PCMCIA cards have the size of a credit card (85.6 mm×54 mm), but the thickness of the cards can be either 3.3 mm (Type I), 5.0 mm (Type II) or 10.5 mm (Type III). Electrically, the PCMCIA cards are coupled to an electronic device in a 8/16 bit I/O interface or memory. A card according to the PCMCIA standard is equipped with a memory area which can be read by the electronic device and which contains information for identifying the card, i.e. a so-called card information structure (CIS).
Particularly in connection with portable data processors (Laptop PC), mobile station applications have been developed in which at least the transmitter/receiver unit of the wireless communication device is provided in a card format of the PCMCIA standard. The unit used for controlling the function of the card is advantageously a microcontroller (MCU) which is equipped with a processor, memory (RAM, ROM) and I/O lines for coupling the microprocessor to the electronics of the card. Furthermore, external memory may also be coupled in connection with the microcontroller.
The transmitter comprises for instance a modulator for modulation of the signal to be transmitted, filters for attenuation of spurious emissions in particular, a mixer in which the modulated signal is mixed with the local oscillator frequency in order to generate a radio frequency signal, and an output stage for amplification of the signal to be transmitted. The amplified signal is conveyed to an antenna, which is coupled to the card e.g. via a cable. The receiver comprises for instance filters for filtering the received signals, a mixer for converting the radio frequency signal to be received into an immediate frequency or, in a receiver of the direct conversion type, into the baseband, and a demodulator for demodulating the received signal.
To control the function of a card-like wireless communication device, so-called user interface software has been developed. By means of such user interface software it is possible to control the functions of a card-like wireless communication device from a data processor. By means of the software it is possible to control e.g. speech calls, transmission and reception of text messages, call diversion set-ups, etc. Moreover, by means of the user interface software the user can enter and edit possible access codes, such as a personal identification number (PIN), a personal unblocking key (PUK), or other security codes of the wireless communication device.
When a data processor is started, a so-called operating system, such as Windows®95, Windows®98, or Windows®NT by Microsoft, is activated. The purpose of the operating system is to control the function of the data processor. In connection with the loading of the operating system, so-called device drivers are also loaded in the program memory of the electronic device. The device driver is a set of program codes which are used to effect the operating of controlling the expansion cards, keyboard, display device, serial ports or corresponding elements that are coupled to the data processor. There are different types of device drivers for different purposes of use, which is prior art known as such by anyone skilled in the art, and thus requires no further discussion in this context.
In some operating systems of prior art, the user interface software can be loaded from the device driver, as for example in Windows®95 and Windows®98 operating systems. When the loading is effected from the device driver, the device driver is loaded for example when a card-like wireless communication device is coupled to the data processor, if the operating system of the data processor is provided with a so-called plug-and-play function. Thus an identification coupling arranged in the expansion card interface indicates that the card-like wireless communication device is coupled to the data processor. After the identification, a control program of the expansion card interface is executed in the operating system for example to examine the CIS database of the card coupled to the interface. On the basis of the type of the card the operating system loads the corresponding device driver. After being started the device driver executes the loading of the user interface software in the memory of the data processor, whereafter the user interface software is started.
In every operating system of prior art, the user interface software cannot be loaded from the device driver. An example of such a operating system is Windows®NT. In that case the user interface software can be loaded in such a way, that the user of the data processor has for example at the installation stage of the user interface software determined the activation of this user interface software in the start-up settings of the operating system. In this alternative, the user interface software is thus always loaded in connection with the activation of the operating system, or when the user logs in to the operating system. The loading is effected even though the card-like wireless communication device is not coupled to the data processor, and even though the user has no need to use the card-like wireless terminal. Thus, the memory capacity of the data processor is unnecessarily occupied. Furthermore, the amount of time passed in the loading of the operating system can be significantly increased, especially when the user interface software to be loaded is large in size.
In a user interface software of prior art, the shut down of the user interface software is implemented in a situation where a card-like wireless terminal is not connected to the data processor. Thus, memory capacity is released for other use. This solution does not, however, reduce the amount of time passed in the loading of the user interface software in connection with starting the operating system. Furthermore, this loading method has the drawback that the user interface software cannot be activated again automatically, if a card-like wireless terminal is connected to the data processor after starting the operating system, if the user interface software has already been shut down.
Thus, when solutions of prior art are used, one has to know in which way the start-up of the user interface software can be implemented in the operating system used at a given time. This complicates the installation of the software and may cause error situations. In addition, these different loading alternatives have to be taken into account in the manufacture of the user interface software, and thus different operating systems types have to be provided with at least partly different versions of the operating software, which also complicates the development and maintenance of the program.
Another drawback of the solutions of prior art is that it is difficult to implement different language versions. If the device driver detects an error in connection with the start-up, the error messages have to be either in one language, or separate device drivers have to be produced for the different language versions. This feature also complicates the installation of the device drivers and increases the amount of work required for manufacture and maintenance. In practical applications it is not, however, sensible to print the error messages from the device driver, because in several operating systems the entire system is halted until the user acknowledges the error messages. On the other hand, in every operating system, such as Windows®NT and Windows®2000, it is not even possible to print the error messages from the device driver.